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Do you find yourself struggling to keep your indoor plants alive for more than a few days or weeks? If you’re not lucky enough to have a natural green thumb, constantly having to replace your plants can get expensive. To help reduce your frustrations and the number of trips to your local garden store, the Tundraland team put together some home gardening tips to help you keep your indoor plants happy and healthy!

WHEN TO WATER

Simply watering your plants when you remember doesn’t do much good. On the flip side, giving them a bath everyday doesn’t help, either. Often, plants come with a tag that has watering instructions, but a simple way to see how much water your plant soaks up is by feeling about an inch or so down at the edge of the soil. Checking for dry soil every day or two will help you determine how often you should water your plant.

PROPER DRAINAGE

Over watering and a pot without the right drainage is a dangerous combination for plants. You might think you’re safe by getting a pot with drainage holes at the bottom, but that’s not always enough. Water sitting at the bottom of your pot can cause rotten roots, which will usually end up killing your plant. To keep your herbage from drowning, put a half inch to an inch of pebbles or other drainage material at the bottom of the pot.

THE RIGHT LIGHT

Again, most plants will come with a tag that includes lighting instructions for your plant. Remember, those directions are there for a reason so be sure your greenery has a spot in your home that meets the lighting requirements. If your plant needs full sunlight, be sure to rotate the pot every few days to keep it from growing towards the sun. Watch for pale leaves or leaves that fall off your plant, as these can be signs that it isn’t getting enough light.

the right light(Photo: Submitted by Tundraland)

WATCH OUT FOR WINDOWS

Windows can affect the wellness of your plants, too. Plants are usually placed by windows, which means in the colder Wisconsin months they may be dealing with chilly drafts and in warmer months they could be roasting from heat radiating through the windows. It’s important to watch for different signs of plant stress, including wilting leaves, brown spotting and appearing leggy.

Keeping your indoor plants alive year-round IS possible. Just follow the above steps and you’ll be on your way to bringing happy, vibrant greenery to your home, and keeping them there.